


take only what you need

by Muir_Wolf



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Birthday, F/M, Pacific Rim AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 07:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21193796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muir_Wolf/pseuds/Muir_Wolf
Summary: She was a diplomat before this all started. She's always backed the Jaeger program, but coming here to the Shatterdome, putting her money where her mouth was—he can respect that. She worries, sometimes, that she'd do more good if she were back in politics, that she could protect the program better from the outside. She's told him that some late nights, but he's felt it in the drift, too, which means she's probably felt his fiercely possessive relief that she'd come, that'd they'd found each other, that they could do this—do this thing that John knows is the best thing he's ever done, the best thing he'll ever do—that they can do it together.





	take only what you need

**Author's Note:**

  * For [galfridian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/galfridian/gifts).

> Happy Birthday, Jess!!

John leans against the wall, watching her. They only got back a couple of hours ago, and had to suffer through medical for most of that, so he's barely had time to catch his breath.

He's—there's no one else in the world he could drift with, or at least that's what he believes, that's what it feels like, but watching her in moments like this she seems..._well_. Not small. Elizabeth Weir could never be _small._ But breakable, maybe.

They're all breakable, but he just wants her _safe._ Needs to see her safe.

They've drifted together for over a year, now. They've killed six Kaiju, including today's. Sometimes, when he's starting to fall asleep, he can almost feel her with him, can almost feel the drift pulling him in, can almost fool himself into believing that they're connected outside their Jaeger, tied together in some other way. That they're—what, soulmates? Red string of fate and all?

She was a diplomat before this all started. She's always backed the Jaeger program, but coming here to the Shatterdome, putting her money where her mouth was—he can respect that. She worries, sometimes, that she'd do more good if she were back in politics, that she could protect the program better from the outside. She's told him that some late nights, but he's felt it in the drift, too, which means she's probably felt his fiercely possessive relief that she'd come, that'd they'd found each other, that they could do this—do this thing that John knows is the best thing he's ever done, the best thing he'll ever do—that they can do it together.

She's moving easily around the kitchen, and he watches her shirt ride up a little on her back as she reaches up to a top shelf, and he thinks—

He thinks she must know he wants to kiss her. Must have seen it, felt it in the drift.

But that's not the time for this, is it? Today is special: suiting up aside, their latest Kaiju kill aside, the soft hue of her skin aside.

He steps out, holding the book. There hadn't been time to wrap it after medical, but he's found a bow, and he doubts she'll mind.

“Smells good, Liz,” he says, gesturing to the stove, and then he cocks his head a little as she turns and looks at him. She's smiling that smile he loves best, the fondly amused one she likes to save for him. “But I don't think birthday girls are supposed to do the cooking.”

She laughs a little, and lifts her eyebrows, “I'd like to _enjoy_ the meal, John, and we both know your cooking is...” she tilts her hand side-to-side, and he chuckles back. She's not wrong, which is why he always does the washing up.

There's a piece of her hair hanging down out of her ponytail, and he wants—

Well. He just wants, doesn't he.

“Present for you,” he says, stepping forward and holding it out. 

“A Kaiju fight _and_ a present? Careful, I'll get spoiled,” she smirks. And then she glances down at the book, and catches sight of the title, and her mouth drops open a little.

“You don't hide your love of scifi nearly as well as you think you do,” John says with a smile, looking down at the copy of _Stargate_ so he doesn't have to look at how happy, how surprised she looks. 

(Maybe there's things she doesn't see in the drift after all, he thinks.)

“How on earth—” she starts, and then shakes her head and pushes herself into his arms until they're hugging, until his hands are curled around her, the book pressing against her back, and he's—

“I love it,” she says. She pulls back a little to look him in the eyes, and he can't—he can't help it. Can't help any of it, none of it, even with the risk of their partnership, even—

“I love _you,_” he says, his voice gone husky.

Her eyes go wide, but she doesn't step away. Doesn't move at all, her arms still curled around his neck, still holding him to her.

He lowers his head a little, until he can press his forehead to hers, and she relaxes a little more into his arms. “I love you,” he says again, softer now, quieter now.

She pushes up into him until her mouth is against his, until they're somehow kissing, her fingers on the back of his neck pulling him down into her, as if there was ever anywhere else he'd ever be, ever any moment he'd want more than this.

They pull apart eventually, panting a little, and she laughs softly, their foreheads touching, their noses a hairsbreadth apart.

“I told you you'd spoil me,” she says, warm, warm, warm.

“Happy Birthday, Elizabeth,” he says, and lets her gravity pull him back in.

**Author's Note:**

> I want to write a whole dang world of this??? I want to write a whole dang world of this. Happy Birthday, lady, I hope you know how much I absolutely adore you!!!


End file.
